Jacobs School of Music presents student opera production, ‘The Elixir of Love’

Graduate student Betsy Uschkrat breathes a sigh of relief as a tight blonde curl falls from underneath her brown wig. What has been for most students a night no different than any other, has been Uschkrat’s escape to another world.\nUschkrat and her cast mates have spent the evening entertaining an auditorium of eager ears with the second opening night of the Jacobs School of Music’s most recent opera “The Elixir of Love.”\n“It’s very whimsical and fun, but it’s a love story,” Uschkrat said. “It’s a real upbeat show.”\nThe show is playing July 27 and 28 and Aug. 4 and 5, with two casts alternating between shows. It is an Italian opera that tells the tale of a young boy and girl who fall in love but are too scared to profess their love to one another. \nWhen the girl Adina agrees to marry a sergeant stationed in the village in order to make her true love Nemorino jealous, Nemorino is left with no choice but to buy the love potion being sold by a “doctor” passing through their village. Both Adina and Nemorino fight to gain the other’s love, according to the event Web site.\n“I have a comedic role, and I am one of the only real comedic characters in the opera,” said Carl Dupont, who plays the doctor on July 27 and Aug. 4. “It’s just great when you can make people laugh and act a fool and have people appreciate it.”\nUschkrat said the cast has been preparing since February, when auditions took place. She said she immediately started studying the language, her lines and the notes and movements on stage. Practices with the conductor took place for a week, followed by staging rehearsals with the director, Uschkrat said.\n“I think (the most enjoyable part) was learning a new style and a new language and absorbing as much information as I can,” she said.\nMany audience members had positive reactions to the opera.\n“The set design and the lighting and the chorus, all of the minor details were paid attention to well,” said Chad Reagan, a Denver resident in attendance. “Musically it was outstanding, and dramatically it was very good as well. It was the best collegiate performance I’ve ever been to.”\nReagan attended the performance in support of a friend who was in the chorus and said he attended both nights and both were equally enjoyable, with each character displaying different strengths.\nAlice McKinley, whose granddaughter was in the chorus and traveled from Louisville to see the performance, said it was one of the best she had seen at IU and that Uschkrat and Alan Dunbar, who played the doctor, were two performers she looked forward to seeing again on stage.\n“The quality of the performance was excellent,” she said. “It was just fun and engaging with the audience. The characters could really bring the audience into the performance.”\nLana Bode is a senior who works as an usher for the show. She said though the number of audience members is smaller now than during the school year, there is still a large number of people attending the summer event.\n“(The audience) has liked it. It’s a comedic opera, so they’ve been laughing a lot,” Bode said.\nUschkrat said the cast has not only been receiving positive reinforcement from the audience but from their teachers and directors as well.\n“(The reaction has been) very positive,” she said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support in trying all these new styles. On the night of my dress rehearsal, the director came in and told me I really was Adina up there on stage.”\nThe performance is wrapping up the Jacobs School of Music’s 2007 summer festival, which showcases various faculty and students from the school of music. Tickets are $12 for students and $20 full price and can be purchased at the Musical Arts Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com.